Pile fabric packing machine



Oct. 22, 1963 s. SCHWARTZ r I 3,107,871 PILE FABRIC PACKING MACHINE Filed April 27, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTO .904 JCHWAR s. 'scHwAR'rz v PILE, FABRIC PACKING MACHINE Oct. 22, 1963 2 Sheets-sheaf 2 Filed April 27, 1961 INVENTOR 60L 'Slbh/ARTZ Arromwxs United States Patent 3,107,871 FILE FABRIC PACKING MACHINE Sol Schwartz, 6740 17311! St., Flushing, N.Y. Filed Apr. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 105,988 Claims. (Cl. 242-55) This patent is a continuation-in-part of my prior filed application, Serial No. 41,962 dated July 11, 1960, now Patent No. 3,071,245. It is further an improvement over the inventions claimed in my prior Patents Nos. 2,895,604, 2,944,751 and 2,944,752.

To protect the nap or pile, it has been the practice to wind such materials in spirally separated layers by catching the edges of the material over sharply pointed supporting hooks on the opposite end heads of a rotatably mounted rack or reel.

This is a time consuming operation requiring the constant attention of a skilled operator, and even under the most favorable circumstances the cloth may be unevenly stretched or torn.

Objects of the present invention are to avoid and to eliminate these possibilities and to provide a machine in which pile fabrics and the like may be quickly and accurately positioned and efiectively secured. 1 These objects have been attained by provision of a rack or reel having longitudinally aligned hooks for the edges and the provision of means to locate and grip the edges of the cloth, and thereby locate the cloth on the proper hook.

These operations may be accomplished partly by hand and partly automatically or be wholly automatic or manual as will be seen in the course of the following description.

Other important objects of the invention are to provide a machine of the character indicated of relatively simple, inexpensive construction not requiring the services of a specially skilled operator.

Other desirable objetcs attained by the invention and the novel features of construction, combination and relation of parts embodying the invention are set forth and will appear in the course of the following specification.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrate a present commercial embodiment of the invention. Structure, however, may be modified and changed as regards the immediate illustration, all within the true intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the instant invention with the griping mechanisms removed.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged broken vertical sectional view of one of the gripping mechanisms.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal plan and part sectional view of the gripping mechanisms with the grippers illustrated in the open and retracted position.

FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 but illustrating the grippers in the extended and closed position..

As particularly shown in FIG. 1, the reel or rack is made up of opposite end heads 15 and 16 secured in spaced relation by spacing bars or rods 17 and supported in the machine by projecting stub shafts or hubs 18, removably seated in open journal sockets 19 in spaced upright stands or posts 24 Each end head 15 and 16 is made up of material formed into a loop of substantialy X or figure 8 formation with triangular end portions.

The pile fabric indicated generaly at 27 is guided, supported and positively and uniformly held in accurately positioned relation by having the edges of the same impinged on hooks 29 or the like on the inner edges of the generally radially extending arms of the reel heads.

These hooks are shown as provided stapled or otherwise secured over the inner edges of the generally radially 3,107,871- Patented Oct. 22, 1963 extending arms of the reel heads providing spaces 28 therebetween.

As the edges of the fabric are engaged in opposing hooks 29 in the reelheads, they advance to impale theseparticular edges.

The edges of the pile fabric 27 are introduced in the spaces 28 between adjoining hooks 29 to form the spiral pattern indicated. This engagement of the cloth folds over successive supports may be a hand operation or be effected automatically or semi-automatically, as by using guides to direct the cloth into successive spaces. The reel may be rotated, a step at a time or continuously by hand or by automatic means. 1

A tensioning reel 100. with a suitable spring mounting 101 or the like may be utilized to provide a constant tension on the cloth 27.

Inthe fully automatic form of the machine illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the fabric is automatically entered in the spaces 28 between the hooks 29 by grippers which engage the edges and pull the fabric down and outward into the spaces and advance one step laterally into alignment with the next row of spaces at the end of one full revolution of the frame.

In these views the grippers are shown as made up each of a fixed jaw 54 and a companion jaw 55 pivoted at 56 and actuated by a leverage extension 57 carrying a pin 58 riding in a parallelogram cam groove 59 designed ot open the jaws in the fully retracted position, FIG. 3, and to close them in the projected position and hold them closed while drawing the edges into the spaces, FIG. 4.

Inward and outward movement of the gripper jaws is effected in the illustration by plungers 60 connected by pivot links 61, FIG. 2, with the slides 62 carrying the fixed and relatively movable jaws. These plungers may be the magnetic cores of solenoids 63 but it is contemplated that hydraulic or compressed air cylinders and pistons may be used instead of the solenoid constructions illustrated.

The grippers are indexed to line up the cloth with the spaces between the supporting fingers by means here shown as solenoids 64, operating plungers 65 carrying spring pressed pawls 66 in engagement with ratchets 67 on the slides 68 carrying the base plates 69 on which the gripper solenoids 63 are mounted. In this case, also hydraulic or compressed air cylinders and pistons may be employed in place of the feed solenoids 64 and this feed mechanism may be controlled by cams or otherwise to bring the grippers and particularly the cloth held by the grippers into register with successive pairs of the holding spaces.

The entire gripper mechanism may be mounted for vertical movement and this mechanism actuated, when the grippers are closed, to pull down successive lengths of cloth to extend from one pair of the radical arms to the next pair of such arms.

As an alternative, the reel, after the grippers have released hold on the cloth, may be rotated a step at a time to advance the cloth around the reel. This step rotation of the reel may be by hand or by pawl and ratchet or other such mechanism.

In the wholly automatic form of the machine, where the cloth is advanced, engaged with and secured on the supports and the reel rotated in time with the advancing and securing actions, the parts are driven in properly synchronized relation by electric motors or other power means. automatic or part manually operated forms of the invention.

It will be seen then that the invention above-described accomplishes all of the objects previously set forth. It

Motors may be employed as well in the semiis a considerably simplified improvement over my prior mentioned patents and applications.

Of course it should be noted that for certain cloths, such as velvets or the like, it may be desirable to impinge a plurality of layers of fabric on each of the sets of hooks 29.

While there are above disclosed but a limited number of embodiments of the structure and product of the invention herein presented, it is possible to produce still other embodiments without departing from the inventive concept herein disclosed, and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations be opposed on the appended claims as are stated therein, or required by the prior art.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A machine for packing pile fabric comprising, a reel having radiating arms provided with rows of longitudinally aligned hook fabric supports, said aligned hook fabric supports being rigidly attached to said radiating arms, and means independent of said radiating arms for locating and advancing the pile fabric to each of the said aligned hook fabric supports. a

2. A machine as described in claim 1, wherein said means include grippers engageable with opposite edges of the fabric and movable transversely in respect thereto for spreading the fabric and locating successive turns of fabric over the spaced fabric supports.

3. A machine as described in claim 2, in which the grippers comprise reciprocable gripping means including opposed fingers, actuating means operatively connected 4 to reciprocate the gripping means, camming means, means pivotally connecting the fingers together, and a cam follower on the gripping means operatively engaging the camming means for pivotingthe fingers into gripping relation in response to reciprocation thereto.

4. A machine according to claim 3, in which the camming means comprises a channel arranged in the form of a parallelogram, and in which the gripping means includes an arm carrying the cam follower at one end and one of the fingers at the other end, the cam follower being movably seated in the parallelogram channel, the arm being pivotally mounted for movement of its fingers into and out of a gripping position in response to reciprocation of the arm in the channel.

5. A machine for packing pile fabric comprising, a

reel having radiating arms provided with rows of l0ngitudinally aligned hook fabric supports, said aligned hooks fabric supports being rigidly attached to said radiating arms, and means independent of said radiating arms for locating and advancing the pile fabric to each of the said aligned hook fabric supports, and means for rotating said reel whereby each of said hook fabric supports will move in proximity said means for locating and advancing periodically.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Schwartz July 12, 1960 

1. A MACHINE FOR PACKING PILE FABRIC COMPRISING, A REEL HAVING RADIATING ARMS PROVIDED WITH ROWS OF LONGITUDINALLY ALIGNED HOOK FABRIC SUPPORTS, SAID ALIGNED HOOK FABRIC SUPPORTS BEING RIGIDLY ATTACHED OT SAID RADIATING ARMS, AND MEANS INDEPENDENT OF SAID RADIATING ARMS FOR LOCATING AND ADVANCING THE PILE FABRIC TO EACH OF THE SAID ALIGNED HOOK FABRIC SUPPORTS. 